Wild Things is a novel about an eleven-year-old girl named Zoë, her uncle Henry, a sculptor, and a stray cat. The girl is a fictional character.

The cat is based on a real cat. The real cat lived wild

in my neighborhood. He slept in the open, even during winter snow and thunderstorms. His favorite food was rat. Over time he allowed me to be his friend. I called him Mr. C’mere, because that’s the name he came to.

When Wild Things begins, Zoë’s mother has just died. Zoë comes to live with her uncle Henry, a sculptor. My husband Mike is a sculptor. The character of Henry is loosely based on Mike. As a surprise, Mike made me the sculpture that Henry makes for Zoë in the book: